Eden
by Weirdo.Blabber
Summary: SUMMARY: [AU] Companion piece to Indecency and Innocence. Gray already knew that meeting his rich girlfriend's parents would be nerve-wrecking, but when he found himself sitting with the Heartfilia family around the dinner table..., he couldn't help but feel like 'nerve-wrecking' was a bit of an understatement.


**HAPPY GRALU WEEK!**

 **WEIRDO BLABBS:** I liked the story I wrote for day 2 of GraLu Week so I decided to write Gray's POV of the continuation. I've gotten good reviews about his hotness (?) with tattoos and his piercings which I am totally happy about. However, this was hard to write. I mean, I wanted Gray's issues to be deep and complicated but not too hard for him to _not_ be able to overcome it by himself. There are a few kinks in this one and I was writing this for a few hours only (using my magical keyboard. HAHA) so I hope you guys understand if it's not too smooth or there are parts that could have been written better.

Despite that, I hope you guys enjoy this story. For those who haven't read Indecency and Innocence yet, you may choose to do so just to have a little bit of continuity. Thank you!

 **GRALU WEEK ENTRY #3 (Prompt: Meet the Parents)**

 **EDEN**

Gray's eyebrows knitted and he crossed his arms. " _No_."

"Come on, please?" she pleaded with him. "It's just one dinner— _just one_. And then you never have to show them your face again."

"Wha— _No, Lucy_!" he argued, "I'm not going to meet your parents on such short notice!"

It had been close to a month since Gray and Lucy started going out. Gray had never expected to be able to open up to someone like Lucy: smart, kind, gentle. In a word, she was perfect... _absolutely perfect_. He had also never expected her to like him. He wasn't a bad man though his appearance says otherwise. Lucy was the last person on Earth he thought would fall for someone like him who had bleached hair, a handful body piercings, and tattoos. And yet, she did. She does.

But today, they were in a bit of a heated discussion. They were outside the university gates, waiting for Lucy's driver to pick her (them) up. Earlier, Lucy ambushed Gray after club activities to talk to him. It didn't take long for them to get into an argument wherein Lucy wanted Gray to join her and her parents for dinner and Gray was adamant about declining.

"How did they even know I existed?"

"I'm sorry..." Lucy apologized. "I didn't know my mother saw you when you walked me home the other time."

Gray gulped. "And what did she say?"

"Well..."

 _"Who was that?" the older blonde asked._

 _"Uhm..._ nobody _..."_

 _"Would you kiss just_ 'nobody' _on the cheek before coming in?" her voice was curious, teasing._

 _"I..."_

 _"Well, it's about that time, anyway... I would have been worried if you didn't have a boyfriend."_

 _"_ Mom _...!"_

 _"But I thought he'd be less... I don't know..."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Um... less flashy? He isn't a troublemaker, is he?"_

"She said that?!"

"Yeah... but—but my mother wasn't against you or anything. It was just that she doesn't meet many people who are as... um... _decorated_... as you."

" _Decorated_?" he laughed dryly, rubbing the inked arms that showed through his black shirt. "I'm not a Christmas tree, you know."

"I know, I know. But you get my point, right?" Lucy asked, "That's why I want you to meet them. I want them to know there's more to you than just your crazy hair and your—" she laughed, "— _decorations_."

Gray sighed. He knew he would have to meet Lucy's parents sooner or later but he didn't think it would be now. He hadn't fully prepared himself. He looked at Lucy in the eyes and said firmly, "You know I'm not comfortable with people scrutinizing me."

"They're not going to scrutinize you. They just want to know you a little more."

"Yeah, probably make sure I don't get you hooked on drugs or anything," he said.

"Just for one dinner, okay?" She looked at him with pleading eyes, putting one hand on his cheek. " _Please_?"

He looked away. Fuck him for being such a softie. " _Just one dinner_."

" _Yay_!" Lucy squealed and clung to him by the neck before lightly pecking him on the lips where his lip ring was. "But... uhm, you might want to take off your piercings, at least..."

"Y-Yeah... I think so..."

"And... wear something less revealing?"

"Eh?"

* * *

The Heartfilia residence was a mansion, and it was no exaggeration. When the car drove past the iron gates, the sight that welcomed Gray was that of a brick driveway that stretched for a few hundred yards. There were shrubs lining the side of the brick road, trimmed trees behind them like an army of men giving royalty a welcome. At the very end of the driveway was a fountain, and behind it was the main house. Gray looked at the peach-colored home and watched in awe. The house had three floors, each floor donning around a dozen windows, every corner lit by a vintage-design lamp. Gray couldn't help but ask himself whether or not he was still in the country... or if houses like that really existed. And to think he was dating the sole daughter of the people who lived there.

It was so much information that he felt his brain short-circuit. What had he gotten himself into? That was the question racing in his mind as a servant (a fucking butler!) led him and Lucy to the dining area. His footsteps were careful on the carpeted floor. He tried not to look too overwhelmed. They entered the dining room and had only a few moments for introduction before they sat next to each other. He was too scared to speak.

Gray already knew that meeting his rich girlfriend's parents would be nerve-wrecking, but when he found himself sitting with the Heartfilia family around the dinner table that the four of them hardly covered, he couldn't help but feel like 'nerve-wrecking' was a bit of an understatement.

That was two minutes and an appetizer ago. Now, he's just thinking how and when Lucy's parents are going to start questioning him. The main course came ( _First course? Second? Fuck it,_ why does he have no knowledge on fine dining?) and Lucy's mother cleared her throat.

"Gray, right?" Layla Heartfilia, whom Lucy probably takes after, looked like a kind woman with doe eyes and a gentle aura. Gray eased as she smiled at him. He nodded. "Where did you say you met Lucy again?"

Gray looked at Lucy for any sign of approval to tell the truth. When Lucy gave a small nod, he said, "Uh, she went to the tattoo parlor I was working part-time in."

Layla's lips pursed, "You work at a tattoo parlor?"

He coughed. "Y-Yes, ma'am. But I'm a student... I study art at the university." _Great, why not just outright say you're not a junkie while you're at it_? Gray really wanted to bash his head into the table for being so defensive.

"Art? You're an artist?"

"I... can paint a bit."

"Stop being modest— _he's really good_ ," Lucy said, giving a reaffirming squeeze to his knee. "He just doesn't want to show it off."

Before Gray could say anything more, Layla was jumping to another topic. "Ah, are those for _piercings_?" the mother asked, gesturing to the holes in his ears. She cocked her head to the side curiously.

"Y-Yes."

"How many do you have?" she asked.

"Uhm, three on my right lobe, four on my left, a lip ring, and one on my belly button." Lucy squeezed his knee, a different kind of squeeze this time, and he glanced at her making a sour kind of expression. He got a feeling he said something he shouldn't have and wanted to bash his head on the table again. Gray combed his hair with his fingers to hide his ears but he remembered that his hair was bleached gray. It would probably take little time for the nosy woman to ask about his hair, now that he's called attention to it.

Unknowingly, when raising his hand, the sleeves of the coat Lucy got him rolled down. The edges of his colorful tattoo did not escape Layla's eyes.

"And... your tattoos?"

"Uh," he mumbled, "I have a few."

"But... why?"

"Well, I _do_ work at a tattoo parlor," he replied. From the corner of his eyes he saw Lucy purse her lips like he'd said something inappropriate.

"Ah. I—I guess that makes sense, doesn't it?" Layla answered.

"I'm sorry, ma'am... I didn't mean to be impolite you or anything, I just..." There was no excuse. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay—"

"So, what are your plans after graduation, Gray? It's coming in a little over a year," Jude Heartfilia spoke now. He had blonde hair that was combed to the back and he had a moustache about an inch thick. He maintained a distant demeanor, barely moving and talking. That he actually opened his mouth probably meant Gray was okay-ed by Layla... _or something like that_.

"I haven't really thought that far ahead, sir," he answered truthfully.

"You should," Jude said and shrugged. "Only ambition will keep you driven to succeed. Just charm won't pay the bills."

"I'm well aware, sir," he answered. He tensed.

There was a pregnant pause.

"S-So, _hey_!" Lucy said, trying to break the ice. "The steak is great, isn't it?"

Layla nodded nervously, encouraging a change of topic. "Delightful, isn't it dear?"

 _It tastes like cardboard to me_ , Gray thought. With that in his head, he politely excused himself and headed to the bathroom for a breather. However, he stopped when the Heartfilia's started having a conversation about him.

"So?" Lucy asked.

"He's very _charming_." It was Layla. "I thought he would be more... scary... but he was so shy and so nervous."

"It's because he doesn't like being put in a spotlight," Lucy defended. It made Gray's heart swell. "And _dad_! You weren't very nice."

"A father has to be tough to the suitors in order to see how serious they are." Jude, this time. "And that young man, though _very_ charming indeed, lacks drive."

" _You don't know him_!"

"It doesn't make my judgement any less accurate," he replied. "I can see you like him and _maybe_ he likes you, too. But I just think there's something wrong with that boy. I've seen enough people in my business to know."

 _He's right._

"This isn't business, dad," Lucy retorted calmly. "This is my boyfriend we're talking about—"

 _Thud_!

Gray chose to make a sound. He purposefully kicked the wooden cabinet hard enough for the Heartfilia family to hear. They stopped talking. A moment later, he appeared from behind the wall and sat quietly next to Lucy. Very few and very tense words were exchanged between them for the remainder of dinner. Aside from that, Gray was quiet. He remained like that for the rest of the evening, thinking.

Just thinking.

* * *

Gray took a step back to look at his work. It was already past five, and he spent the whole afternoon finishing his mural inside the art club room. He admired it, smiled proudly at himself, and let out a sigh. The previous night at the Heartfilia's had given him troubling thoughts. By the end of that night, he just _knew_ Lucy would be ordered to not see him again. He wanted to run away... _escape_.

And art had always been his escape, his freedom. Other young adults his age bother with drugs and alcohol but inks was all he needed to get, in a sense, high. Every smooth stroke was like electricity shooting up his spine; every beautifully blended color gave goosebumps; every perfect picture painted was ecstasy. Even then, as Gray looked at his latest work painted on one side of the wall, he could not help but feel life buzzing inside him. He was revived.

 _Click_! A shutter clicked and for a brief moment, a light shone.

Gray turned to see who the paparazzi was and he flinched. " _Sensei_ ," he greeted the newcomer behind him.

The man was in his early sixties, with thinning gray hair and a thin figure. He was famous for his work all over the country and enjoyed to look at work made by younger artists. Gray met him during his first year at the university when he saw Gray painting over the wall. Since then, the old man would come on Wednesdays to teach Gray...recently, only to shower him with praises. He did not criticize but correct; did not scorn but suggest. This was one reason why Gray admired him.

The other was that the man was warm and kind to, Gray thinks, the entire universe. He bore no one ill will and was willing to teach until he was spent. He was glad to see others making success, even happier to help them. He was one of the people Gray respected and opened up to.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at your art," he said as he gazed lovingly at the painted wall. "It is one of the very few things that delight me at my old age. Even your skin art is admirable."

"Tattooing is a part-time job, not a hobby," Gray replied, wiping his nose with the collar of his shirt. He looked at his tattoos and smiled. _They are good, though_.

"What do you call this new one?" he asked. He gestured to Gray's painting of a blond woman and a raven-haired man, both only having only leaves and flowers as clothing. The woman held the man close to her chest; the man let himself be cradled as he smiled. Nature surrounded them; wildlife was their companion.

"Uh, _'Eden'_."

" _Paradise_ ," the old man replied, admiring the strokes. "Where no weeping or pain is... I assume that woman is _Eve_."

"Yeah..."

"The man is _you_ ," he looked at Gray with knowing eyes, "isn't it?"

"No, it's..."

Before Gray could continue, he said, "Do you notice how, no matter how artists try, they always seem to leave a part of themselves in their work." He touched the wall, the paint dry now. "And sometimes, if you look really closely, you can see it tells a story, one that is close to the artist's heart."

"Oh yeah?" Gray laughed, "What's mine telling you?"

"I see _you_ ," he pointed to Adam, "content in the arms of a lady whom you feel gives you perfect peace."

The younger man sneered. "I told you, that's not me—"

"With no need for bleached hair—" he continued and touched Gray's hair, "—or piercings—" he pulled on Gray's earlobe (" _Ow_!"), "—or skin art." The man touched Gray's dragon tattoo. "Because you feel safe with her... at ease.

"But your eyes are dead to the world, child," the old man continued, gesturing to Adam's listless face. "You love her... but it bothers you, doesn't it?"

Gray said nothing.

The sensei turned to his painting again and snapped another picture. "I assume you're going to paint over it again?"

"Yeah..." the student nodded. He recovered and was now wiping his hands with one of the towels. "I'm not really into the idea of showing it off."

The man laughed. "After three years in university, you're still so selfish about your art. You should let others enjoy it, too, you know?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't think so."

"You're okay with other people seeing your skin art." His teacher never calls tattoos 'tattoos'.

"Well, nobody ever pays attention to how tattoos are drawn. All they think is that it's dirty and not very elegant."

"You don't think that way, though?"

"No," Gray smiled. "I think drawing on skin is like... putting on makeup for women. It beautifies and enhances the natural canvas we're born with."

"You really do have an eye for good art," the teacher said. "I really hope to have your works in my exhibit this time."

" _Eh_?!" he cried.

The man laughed. "They want to put my _'Legacy'_ collection in a fund-raising exhibit at the National museum this month. And I thought, 'Why not put my protégé's work in there as well?'"

"No, sensei, I—"

" _Gray_ ," he said firmly, "you're going to graduate soon. You need to make your mark while you are still young; show the world you're more than just—" he put a hand on Gray's cheek, "—a rebel... a child afraid of the pain in the world. It's about time you become less preoccupied with your fear of _feeling_... and actually start _living_.

"After all, what is living but experiencing every kind of emotion humanly possible—positive _and_ negative?"

Gray was quiet for a while. He just looked at his teacher with unfocused eyes. What he said was true: he had always been too afraid to feel anything. So when Lucy came along, she became the world to him. And to think that the only thing standing between him and her is himself... it makes him feel powerless.

But that doesn't mean he is.

Gray smiled at the old man. "Do I start today?"

* * *

Lucy groaned once again. This was the third time she has since the time she got into the car. She _hated_ socializing with her father's friends. It was tiring to smile at everyone and think that you're a perfect little heiress. She pouted like a fifteen-year-old, and gazed out the window of the moving car. The event they were attending was, apparently, a big deal since her father sponsored some exhibit to raise funds for the museum. The only upside to this is that she gets to wear casual clothes.

She looked at her phone and sighed. No messages. Since two weeks ago. _What in the world is going on with Gray_? They haven't seen each other since the dinner. Lucy knew he was upset so she gave him three days to mope but when she texted him on the fourth day, she was ignored. She tried calling but her calls won't go through. She tried ambushing him at the art department, his classes, and his club, but either he got extremely good at avoiding her or Gray was just very lucky.

 _Did dinner scare him that much_? Worse, did he get tired of her? Did she suddenly become _boring_ to him as well? She reached for the tattoo on her back, but couldn't... just like how she's reaching for Gray now, but can't. She sighed.

"We're here," Jude announced. He opened the car door and Lucy stubbornly got off before them.

"Looks like we're late, dad," Lucy said to her father as they made their way up the staircase of the museum. From the outside, Lucy could see the flock of people beyond the doors walking past.

"Well, I told them not to wait for us," he said. "It's better this way, anyway. Less people to greet you, you know?" She smiled. No matter how harsh her father was at everything else, Jude always knew how to get on Lucy's good side.

They entered the doors, a swarm of humans greeted Lucy's sight. All of them were flocking at one painting or the other, going 'ooh' and 'aah'. Well, if it was for the museum, it couldn't hurt to help. Very few people in the present generation can ever appreciate true art.

"Sensei!" her father greeted. Lucy turned to see her father open his arms to greet an old man who stood out from the crowd. Like her father, the old man was wearing a suit, one trembling hand holding on to a cane. "I'm so glad to have caught you here on opening day!"

"So am I, Jude. So am I," the old man said.

Jude called for his daughter to meet the old man. "My wife couldn't make it because of her own business but my daughter is here to represent her. Sensei, this is my daughter, Lucy. Lucy, this is the man responsible for all of these wonderful artworks."

"Nice to meet you, sensei," Lucy said with a curt bow and a smile.

" _Eve_ ," the old man said.

"N-No... _Lucy_ ," she corrected.

But the old man only smiled at her. "I want you to meet my protégé, Jude. I told you I was going to feature a mini-collection made by him, didn't I?"

"Ah, yes, I remember. But you're not retiring any time soon, are you, master?"

Sensei sighed. "Alas, I might. But that doesn't mean the art will stop. I will show you what I mean."

The old man led them to a smaller room, much smaller than the rest of the other halls. In this room, all the walls were bare, except the one at the very end of the hall. A huge painting of a garden was there: lush trees, a sparkling aquamarine lake, birds and animals of all sorts frolicked around under the warm sun. Lucy looked at the painting and felt like it moved—or maybe, she was taken to a dimension separate from reality. All the colors burst from the mural: the trees looked _real_ ; the animals looked _alive_.

"It's beautiful," she whispered unknowingly.

"Isn't it, Eve?" the old man said.

"Very fitting for its name," Jude said, gesturing to the golden label at the bottom of the wall. It read, 'EDEN'. "It is paradise indeed."

"Oh, but that's not what I wanted to show you," the old man said proudly, "although it _is_ part of the whole collection."

He gestured to both sides of the walls. One huge portrait on each was erected. On the right side was the portrait of 'ADAM'. He had jet black hair and deep black eyes. He was reaching out for whomever, his face hopeful; his smile, longing. Something about Adam was strangely familiar to Lucy, although she didn't know what. But that didn't shock her just yet.

What shocked her was that the mate to 'ADAM', 'EVE', was a portrait of _her_! Eve was painted as having blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. She opened her arms wide at the onlooker, inviting them. Although separate paintings, both Adam and Eve looked as if they were taken straight out from 'EDEN'. And the story was clearly told, Eve was spreading her arms to Adam who was reaching for her to complete paradise.

"That is the man I was talking to you about, Jude," the teacher said, pointing to a man standing in front of 'EVE'. He had his back turned, but Lucy's heart skipped at the sight of him. His hair was as dark as ravens' feathers; his suit fit him in such a regal manner that he gave the air of elegance. He stood proudly, as if he'd won a war and was looking at its spoils.

"Is that him, your protégé?" Jude asked.

"Yes," the old man answered. Then, he called out to the other man, " _Gray_!"

 _Gray_?!

Lucy almost choked on her own spit when the man turned. She didn't know how but she _knew_ it was Gray. Even without his highlights, the bangs that covered his face, and his cute earrings, she knew; the way he smiled gave him away. Gray saw both Jude and Lucy and he flinched before nervously walking towards them.

When they were finally face to face, the first thing Lucy said was, "You dyed your hair!" A pause. "And you combed it back."

Gray ruffled his strands. "Yeah. Couldn't come to an event like this looking like a junkie." He gestured to his left lobe, which held a single earring. "And this is the only one I'm keeping from today onwards."

"You had your tattoos removed?" she asked.

"Don't be silly. Like I'd do that," he answered. "Though, I'll probably be wearing long sleeves outside from now on."

Lucy was going to ask him about why he never called her but her father beat her. "Well, this is surely a surprise. I never thought you would be Sensei's protégé."

"I didn't accept it until the day after the dinner," Gray explained. "Your words back then got me thinking."

"And?"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is... I would like to apologize for my behavior then. I was just so nervous about you analyzing every detail about me that I acted immaturely and insecurely. When Sensei told me you were a sponsor, I knew I should face you with at least some sort of improvement. So now, I want to explain myself to you... and to Lucy.

"I know that I made a negative impression on you when you saw me the way I was. I want to admit that piercing myself and inking my skin was like a ritual to me... to get me used to the pain. I had always been afraid to feel pain. So back in high school, I thought that if I were to get used to it, I wouldn't feel it anymore. I'd be numb, but I wouldn't get hurt. Of course, I was wrong.

"Despite that, I was still trying to detach myself from the world. But when your daughter came along I said, 'She's different.' With her I can feel all the things I used to be afraid of feeling: pain, sadness, guilt, but also happiness, joy, and love. Lucy makes me feel alive, so... so I want to be with her. I don't have a reason other than this."

Jude's face remained unchanged. "So you think that by changing the way you look I will approve of you?"

Gray shook his head. "I thought of that at first. But then I realized, if I were to change myself for others, I wouldn't be entirely happy. That's what I told Lucy when we first met." He smiled at Lucy, who smiled reassuringly back at him. "I don't want to do anything just so people would like me. I want them— _you_ —to approve of me because I'm myself. The reason I dyed my hair back and got rid of all my piercings was because I wanted to do myself a favor. I want to free myself from being bound to my childish logic and my past self. I think doing this, at least, is a start."

"Hm..." was all Jude said for a while. Then, "Lucy?"

Lucy just stared at Gray. She forgot how bad she'd been feeling because he ignored her: Gray really did look hot with his new image. But then she shook her head, and said, "You didn't call me... _ever_."

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically. "I was too busy painting that I never really got time to do anything else but eat, sleep, and paint."

"I'll forgive you," Lucy said, "if you give me that painting of Adam."

Gray flinched. "No way! That's museum property. Besides, both 'ADAM' and 'EVE' will be up for auction by the end of the week."

"You're selling it?" she yelled.

"Hey, don't yell! It's for a good cause."

"But— _but_!"

"Don't worry," Gray assured, "The real deal's _right here_."

Lucy pouted.

"Well, I'm sure you both have a lot to discuss, Lucy," Jude said, "but we have a lot to do. Gray, why don't you join us tonight for dinner? I'm hoping it won't be like the last time."

"Oh, I..."

Lucy looked up at him and smiled sweetly. She held out her hand to him and said, "Will you come?"

"Yeah," he whispered. And he took the hand that was held out to him.

* * *

 **WEIRDO BLABBS AGAIN:** I'm beginning to think that my stories are really dramatic. Why? Why? Why? I guess I'm just a sentimental person that I'm able to write these themes better? Oh, dear, I hope I'm not depressed!

 **R & R! Happy GraLu Week!**

 _Other GraLu fanfictions by this author:_

 _ **-Another Shot at Love**_

 _ **-Good Taste**_

 _ **-Massage?**_

 _ **-Starstruck!**_

 _ **-Starstruck! Encore**_

 _ **-Going, Going, Gone**_

 _ **-The Simple Life**_

 _ **-The Ten-Year Myth**_

 _ **-Indecency and Innocence**_

 _If you are interested in my other works not stated above, please go to my FanFiction profile: /~weirdoblabber_


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